Volume 6 Intermission 2 is out!    

TLN:

Hello everyone.

This chapter is edited by Lunati4ko. Thank you so much!

FYI, I’m planning to release a chapter once a week now for the sake for consistent release. Maybe I will translate faster because I have free time but I may not be able to translate in the early of July. Therefore, I have decided to release the chapter every Thursday.

Enjoy!

The Reborn Challenger

Idle Talk: The Reborn Challenger

This story happened several days after Lior separated from Sirius.

— Lior —

(Several days after I parted with Sirius.)

Another name for the place where I used to live is the 'Ruin Forest'. It is a vast forest that can throw off your sense of direction. It's also a terrible forest where even intermediate level adventurers can be attacked at any time by the dangerous demons that lurk around the area.

In my case, I kept my sense of direction and since even the demons ran away, while glaring at me, I treated it as a normal forest when I went through it.

There were no particular problems that way. While eating the burned meat of the demons that attacked me, I continued walking until I finally came out of forest onto the highway.

Then, I suddenly realized… I was consumed with regret that I didn't notice in the past.

"Haa… I'm a failure…" (Lior)

Since I was talking to myself more, I was still focusing but this time, it didn't feel like my willpower was wilting away.

I felt that my favorite sword was getting heavier. While trudging along on the highway, I turned my gaze in the direction of where that guy and others might be.

"Why… didn't he invite me to travel together with him?" (Lior)

Sirius said that he wanted to go to school, because he wanted to see the world and to gather experience.

Even with his strength, he couldn't join the adventurer's guild, because he was still a minor and it would incur further problems. But he should have realized, that there would have been no problems, if he introduced me as his guardian.

He could have declined, but if I had said it, I would be regretting it less now. The feeling of regret sure is unpleasant.  To be fair, judging by that guy's personality, the probability of him accepting my proposal was probably not high.

When I think of it… I can't help, but be annoyed.

"Nuaargghhh—! A lifetime mistake!" (Lior)

My life was devoted to the sword up until now.

I love to fight. Fighting strong opponent makes me happy. That was going to change now but… I found three new enjoyments in life.

First is a kid called Sirius.

He has a childlike figure, but what's inside of him exceeds me… what a monster. He is a close friend of mine and a rival who wins of our fights against me than he loses. Fighting with that guy is now my purpose in life. To win more than losing is my goal now. Having a so called goal is good. Meeting that guy really was a good thing.

Then, he brought Emilia.

She is Sirius' servant and disciple. She is a lovely girl from the silver wolf tribe. During our first introduction, my heart trembled, when she called me Ojii-chan. As for me who devoted my life to the sword, I don't need disciples, especially a kid. I thought that I didn't feel a yearning for kids or grandkids as well, but the burst of feeling at that time is something hard to forget.

Although that fool treats her as a grandchild, but for me Emilia is just a cute kid. Whether it's foolish to have grandchildren or anything, whatever it is, it's all good.

The youngster who is the younger brother of Emilia… Was he called Reus?

Normally it's a principle of mine not to memorize names of people that I don't recognize, but I acknowledged his hunger for strength. He keeps on challenging us, even after continuously losing against me and Sirius. That spirit is similar to mine.

He holds natural kinetic vision and he is a man of exceptional talent, who will surpass me sooner or later.

Well, I absolutely won't say such a thing in front of him. I think I will call him by his name, if he were to reach half of my true strength.

He is Sirius' disciple and my disciple too. Since his characteristics resemble mine, when I was young, I have shown off and taught him various techniques involuntarily. The reason is I have decided not to take any disciples, so for me that youngster will become my last disciple. I clearly saw him grow every time I met him. It has been fun teaching such a youngster.

The chance to travel and have fun with those three together… and I saw them off without being able to do anything. Come to think of it, isn't this quite the miserable talk?

If I were to say it properly, If I could stay with the cute Emilia, see and take care of the youngsters, and fight that guy at any time.  It would have been a wonderful thing!

And yet, here I am – traveling alone, while he goes to school with his two disciples… Arrgh, I'm so jealous. I'm so jealous, you know!

"Ojii-san, be careful!" (??)

"Run away, Ojii-san!" (??)

For some reason, it was getting noisy behind me. So, I deviated from the highway and took my distance.

Thereupon, a horse carriage drove by me with full force. However, its speed suddenly dropped a short while after passing through the spot where I was, until it stopped completely. It seemed like the horse pulling the carriage had reached its limit. However, since I didn't have any obligation to help, I kept on walking. It became noisy again at the place I just passed by.

"I caught up with them at last!" (??)

"Those guys stopped moving. This is our chance!" (??)

"Our spoils are going to increase too!" (??)

'Hmmm… Is it a robbery?'

When I stopped and looked back, several men who rode on horses were shouting and coming in this direction. 'Well, since it's not related to me…' When I continued going forward, a man and a woman exited from the carriage and stood in front of me.

"You there! Won't you kindly save us?" (??)

"Me?" (Lior)

"Yes, the person holding that big sword. Surely you must be a famous Swordsman-sama." (??)

"Famous huh…" (Lior)

Well, my name used to be well-known to a certain extent. These thieves were such pushovers, but… this was troublesome if I was to be honest. Because I felt that I would be bullying the weak

I thought of leaving the two who desperately seeking for help.

"Otou-san, are we…going to be alright?" (??)

"Hey, you need to hide in the carriage! Please, if it's money, I'll give it to you!" (??)

"Please save us!" (??)

"That child just now… is it yours?" (Lior)

"Yes, we are travelling merchant… No, please spare my daughter! If it's money! If it's money, I have them!"

"It's not like I want your daughter! It can't be helped then, you guys go hide inside the carriage." (Lior)

'The girl who peeped from the carriage reminds me of Emilia.' Her appearance was entirely different and she didn't seem the same age, but when I saw her, the feeling of wanting to abandon them disappeared.

I used to lack such feelings before, but I was reborn after almost being killed by Sirius. It's fine for this to be the reason I swing my sword.

"Oo? What a strange big old man?" (??)

"Oi, Jii-san. We have business with the carriage behind you. We will take the valuables and quickly disappear." (??)

"Are you going to swing that big sword? Think a little bit more, if you want to threaten us with that appearance, hahaha!" (??)

I was laughed at all of a sudden, when I stood in front of those guys. This had become a situation, where I was considered as a weak guy. 'Shouldn't thieves have the ability to discern strong people? Has the quality of thieves dropped since the olden days? Well then, should I test them?'

"So noisy! I'm tired of all this talking. Feel free to come at me!" (Lior)

My yell halted their movements. 'What? Don't tell me they hesitated, because I raised my voice? How weak have bandits become?'

"You bastard old man! To let out such a voice… We have three people here, you know! It's only the shout of an old man, don't you think!?" (??)

Finally, one of them came to his senses, kicked his horse and ran at me. He aimed at me and swung his sword. 'It's good that he came to challenge me but…his sword's swing is slow.'

"Hmmph!" (Lior)

I grasped my beloved sword and before his eyes, I swung down from the height of that man – splitting him in half together with his horse, the man's body was vertically cut in two and crumbled down behind me.

"Eh?… What?" (??)

"The horse is…eh? What happened just now?" (??)

I brandished my beloved sword to get rid the blood. 'Hmmm… maybe because I hadn't fought, slashing that guy, the feeling of my dominant hand was bit dull. So when I tried my off hand just now, it feels a bit weaker.'

"What, is it over?" (Lior)

"D-damn it! Stay put! Being able to move such a big sword freely…" (??)

"Your decision is too slow, you fool!" (Lior)

I threw myself at the enemy, before he finished talking. This time, in order not to hit the horse, I aimed at his head by swinging sideways. My sword cut his head like a fruit and he died. Then, I scowled at another one.

"Hiiiii–!?" (??)

He escaped immediately. 'It was enough to drive them away. Should I just leave the guy who ran away?'

As I put my sword back in it's place, the merchants who were hiding in the carriage came out. They lowered their heads while smiling at me.

"Indeed, to defeat two people in the blink of an eye, what a splendid ability!" (??)

"It's not a big deal with only this much. Leaving that aside, is your horse alright?" (Lior)

"Y-yes. She could barely breathe, because she was continuously running. She might need to rest for a short while and…" (??)

'It's good if these were the only thieves, but based on my intuition, they should have a hideout nearby. Those guys were probably laying in ambush.'

"Maybe the guy who just escaped will bring reinforcements. Abandon the carriage. I suggest you to leave this area immediately." (Lior)

"It can't be!? If we abandon the carriage and the goods, how are we supposed to live…" (??)

"Life or goods, think about it and decide which one is more important. Well then." (Lior)

"Errr, how about the gratitude for saving us?" (??)

"I don't need it." (Lior)

Since I did it by my own accord, I didn't intend to receive compensation from these guys. For the time being, I turned my back to leave since I already saved them.

"Otou-san, that Ojii-chan was amazing, right?" (??)

"That's right. But… we cannot feel relieved yet. Those bad guys will probably come again, you know." (??)

The child just now lined up beside her mother. 'Hmmm… as I thought the girl doesn't even resemble Emilia, but I can't bring myself to leave them behind just like that. Since when have I become so weak to children young enough to be my grandkids?'

"Oi, the merchant over there." (Lior)

"Yes! What is it?" (??)

"I have a suggestion…" (Lior)

I went on the highway. After a short while the sky started to become red.

Just a little bit more and the sun will hide itself. Then, the merchant family and I moved the carriage away from the highway and took a rest. No, the merchant family was still startled by the surprise attack, so maybe I'm the only one who is resting.

"Really… will they come back?" (??)

"It's alright if they don't come. Well, even if they did come, it wouldn't be a problem." (Lior)

The reason we were waiting here was because I suggested to wait until the horse recovered, keeping watch.Just now I told them the thieves might retaliate, but when I suggested to be their escort, they nodded in agreement.

I received a cup of black tea from the male merchant as I turned my gaze in the direction where the thief left.

"But, you even look manly. Why would you follow this old man's suggestion?" (Lior)

"If I had to choose between protecting the goods and throwing away my life, or abandoning the goods in order to survive, both are similarly horrible options. It is because I was shown your true strength just now that I finally have a possible way out." (??)

"Is that so? By the way, I have been living in isolation and because of that, I am not familiar with ways of the world. If it's alright with you, please teach me various things." (Lior)

"Understood. If you don't mind the limits of my knowledge, sure." (??)

I went into retirement in the forest for years, but since I was going to continue travelling, gathering information was a necessity. I heard a story full of ups and downs from the merchant and then he finally asked about my objective .

"I am travelling for the sake of getting stronger. Is there a place where I can find strong opponents?" (Lior)

"You mean at your age!? Aah… I'm sorry, I was rude. But, I have never seen a person as strong as you. Although you hold such strength, you still want to get stronger?" (??)

"Of course. There is a person that is stronger than me. I must get stronger for the sake of winning more against him." (Lior) (TLN: He is talking about the number of match and he loss more than win against Sirius)

"If you are looking for strong people, how about going to arena?" (??)

'Did she hear the conversation between me and the merchant?' The merchant's daughter mixed into our conversation. 'Did he think I was offended by her sudden interruption, since he was asking her to leave?' However, I stopped him and asked her question.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by arena?" (Lior)

"There is an arena in the town that we stopped earlier. It is said that the arena is the first in the continent, so a lot of people are going there for sightseeing." (??)

"That's interesting. The location is… these guys sure have bad timing." (Lior)

When I was about to hear more details about the arena, I felt a great number of presences, which seemed to be thieves. I stood up and put my hand on the girl's head.

"My work isn't finished yet. Will you let me hear the details after this?" (Lior)

"Y-yes… Understood." (??)

"Perhaps it's the thieves?" (??)

"That's right." (Lior)

I told the merchants to hide themselves behind the carriage and wait for a little while. The men who were riding horses while raising a cloud of dust while getting closer. And then, they lined up in front of me. One of the men stepped forward and pointed at me.

"Leader, it is this guy. This guy killed two of our people!" (??)

"Isn't he just an ordinary old man? Really? You mean this Jii-san?" (??)

"Please look at the sword that he is holding. That sword cut through even the horse!" (??)

"Surely if it's with that sword, it seems possible." (??)

Although the man, who was called as the leader, came with suspicious eyes, he seemed to understand a little about my sword. While the leader was muttering something, the merchants who were hiding behind the carriage were startled, because of the group of thieves. The whole family was shaking in fear. It couldn't be helped since even if one only took a peek, one would realize that there we more than 30 thieves.

"Why…it become…like this" (??)

"Okaa-san! Otou-san!" (??)

"I-it's alright. I'm sure… it's going to be alright." (??)

"Well, I didn't expect these number (of thieves)." (Lior)

Indeed… I really didn't expect this at all.

I thought that there would be at least 50 of them. This was somewhat unexpected. Besides, they were not standing in front of me, but it was a good thing when they surrounded me, since that gave me more options.

"Oi, old man! You dare to do that to our friend!" (??)

"Too noisy.  It's only reasonable for me to retaliate when I am attacked. Did you guys think you could take advantage of me being surrounded?" (Lior)

"Shut up, Leader, are we ready?" (??)

"–in accordance to my own life, I give my life to the puppet [Rock Golem]!" (??)

The leader put his hand on the ground and the surrounding soil started to bulge. Even I had to look up at the big golem that just appeared. 'That thief leader was a magician huh?'

"Hoo… is it a golem?" (Lior)

"You bastard, no matter how strong the sword you hold is, you won't be able to cut it's big rock body! Go!" (??)

'What? These guys thought that my sword was an unique thing? It was certainly somewhat special, but it was mostly just a big sturdy sword. Besides…'

"I have fought against bigger golems compared to this!" (Lior)

It was made by a 400 years old elf, but the size of the golem was twice as big as this guy's and it's body was made from iron. Such a rock golem was akin to paper when compared to it.

I evaded the fist that was swung down by jumping forward. I swung my sword at the golem's feet and it fell down after having both of them cut off. Since it's center of gravity was moving forward, it was going to fall onto me, but I held my sword and cut it flashily.

"Hard Break — One Hand Sword Style — Hard Wave Slash!" (Lior)

In order to hurl mana, I had to swing with all my strength. The form of this technique was a shockwave attack.

The shockwave broke the golem, that was falling forward, in thousand pieces and several thieves who were behind the golem got annihilated. The short range of this technique made it difficult to use, but the main feature of 'Hard Break' was its huge power. 'But… they are fragile huh. Just like the tofu that Sirius brought. Aah, I want to eat tofu badly, now that I thought about it.'

"""… Eh?""" (??)

'30… No, the number became 20 just now and the thieves acted dumb in unison. What is it you guys, I'm going to attack if you are not going to run away, you know?'

"Why are you guys acting like little kids!? That's it, pull yourself together. Are you afraid of this old man alone!?" (??)

When I fired 'Hard Wave Slash' for second time, the number of thieves got reduced even more. Then, they finally stopped acting dumb and I noticed a young thief apprentice, that shouted at me.

"That big sword… that strength. There is no doubt. This guy is the 'Thief Hunter', Lior! All members, run! We're going to be wiped out!" (??)

"Lior!? You mean the 'Strongest Sword'? Isn't he already dead!?" (??) (TLN: The title in raw is 剛剣)

'I feel nostalgic again because of this name.'

During the time when I wasn't famous, I went on a trip to find strong people. There was a time when I hunted thieves in order to cover my food expenses. It was a precious income for me during that time. Unlike with demons, I didn't go easy on them and usually didn't leave anything behind. (TLN: No monster drops because he wiped everything.)

They realized it the moment I wiped out 20 people from their thieves group, and I was called 'Thief Hunter' among other things. The people in this continent were delighted when the damage caused by the thieves decreased and they were pleased with me.

After that I went into retirement and I didn't kill arbitrarily anymore.

"Run away! Damn it! What happened to the leader!?" (??)

"He got rolled up in that attack just now and he fainted." (??)

"If that's the case, should we catch the people behind him as hostages?" (??)

"You idiot! Against such an opponent… arrghhh!" (??)

"Hahaha! How does it feel when you change from a hunter to ones being hunted?" (Lior)

'Hmm, as I thought, moving my body feels good.' The usual feeling of regret finally overcame the thieves.

I jumped in the center of the enemy's group and I swung my beloved sword to my heart content killing the thieves. At one point the thieves approached the carriage to use the merchants as a hostage, but I obstructed them by using 'Hard Wave Slash'… and they were sent in oblivion. Anyhow, the reason I defeated those guys was to secure some money for the trip.

As I much as I was bored with demon opponents in the forest, once I felt like acting violently, I would act violently.

"Hmmm…am I done?" (Lior)

While putting my beloved sword back, I looked at the highway where the signs of destruction remained. There were many dead bodies and broken pieces of the golem on the gouged ground due to 'Hard Wave Slash'. This scenery looked similar to the destruction caused by a war. However, since I was protecting the merchants, I let several thieves escaped. Well, I secured the guy who was the leader and I could make some money if I handed him over in town.

'I should reflect on whether I went too far.' Then, I talked to the merchant whose face was all pale.

"Err… Thank you very much." (??)

"No, no, I don't need your thanks. Because I just acted violently." (Lior)

"But still. I feel that… while it was a bit too much, the truth is our family was saved." (??)

While he was being frightened by me who created this horrible scene, he still expressed his gratitude. As I thought, this guy had courage.

"You should just think that you were lucky. Well I should probably leave now." (Lior)

"Please wait. Where are you heading to?" (??)

"Well, if I move along the highway, I will reach a town soon." (Lior)

"If you don't have any aim… would you like to use our carriage until the town?" (??)

He was looking afraid until just now, but right now, he looked at me with an earnest face. Since even demons will run away being intimidated by me, I accepted his offer.

"Hoo, even though I am scary, what a luck huh?" (Lior)

"The thieves were talking about it. You are Lior-sama who was called the 'Strongest Sword'. Such strength is certainly real, so isn't natural to be scared?" (??)

"Real or not, if it's you guys, I can kill easily, you know?" (Lior)

"If that's the case, it would be fine if you abandoned us. Nevertheless, you are not an enemy because you fought for the sake of protecting us." (??)

'That was a rational thought. In fact, I am grateful that I get to ride their carriage. It's going to ease me in bringing the thieves' leader and since they were travelling merchants, I expect them to cook some meals.' This was a story of me who was unable to cook a meal.

"Besides, if you come with us, we can feel relieved, better than being protected by armed guards. This is also for our own self-interest too." (??)

"Hahaha! You talked about things cleverly. But, shouldn't you be okay even with armed guards? How did you come to this conclusion?" (Lior)

"The truth is, I admire you. It is an honor to meet the legendary 'Strongest Sword', Lior-sama." (??)

As he said, he requested a handshake with an excited expression. 'I shouldn't be called by that name anymore.' I thought, while he was shaking my hand,

"I am Lior for sure but I'm no longer the 'Strongest Sword'. The 'Strongest Sword' has died." (Lior)

'That's right… I challenged Sirius and gave my all, but I was defeated, so I threw away the name of the 'Strongest Sword'.'

The person here was just an ordinary old man who was passing through.

"Right now, I'm just the ordinary Lior. From now on, I'm going to be a man who rises with a single sword." (Lior)

'I will start from the beginning and I will get strong once again.

And then someday, I'm going to have a match with the adult Sirius and… I will win!

Because I, from the 'Strongest Sword', was reborn to be a challenger.'

"By the way Ojou-chan, the arena in town is…" (Lior) (TLN: Ojou-chan = young lady)

"Hiii!?" (??)

'… She ran away.

If Emilia saw me just now, will she run away too?

If that's happened… I may not recover myself.

Should I learn some self-respect after being reborn?'